$10 million worth of cocaine confiscated in NYPD's largest seizure in at least a decade, officials say

The NYPD and federal and state agents say millions of dollars worth of cocaine was taken off the streets in one of the biggest busts the city has had in years.

Officials say a record 580 pounds, or one-quarter of a metric ton, of cocaine was seized, with a street value of at least $10 million.

"The NYPD's largest cocaine seizure in at least a decade," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "This was a massive shipment of narcotics tied to an interstate trafficking network with connections across the country, including in New York and New Jersey."

Officials say Nelson Salcedo, of Englewood, New Jersey, apparently stashed the drugs at a public storage unit in Long Island City. They allegedly watched him carrying out brown cardboard boxes and loading them into his car.

"Investigators then secured the vehicle and obtained a search warrant before conducting a search. When they searched the van, investigators found approximately 147 brick-shaped packages of cocaine in the boxes inside the van and another 83 packages in the boxes outside," Tisch said. "Some of the larger packages contained multiple bricks, bringing the total seizure to approximately 266 one-kilogram packages of cocaine, more than 580 pounds."

Salcedo was caught after two other men were arrested earlier. Officials say it took months of painstaking detective work, and they don't think this is the end of the line.

The investigation is ongoing.

Officials say initial tests show the drugs were high quality.

"These drugs appear to be very pure ... which usually means that at one point before it gets to the street, it would've probably been cut with either fentanyl or some other mixes," NYPD Assistant Chief Michael Baldassano said.

That means the amount of drugs could have multiplied exponentially.

"When it hits the street, it'll be probably three or four times this amount of drugs," Baldassano said. "This absolutely would be cut at least a few times before it hit the streets."

This investigation included federal drug enforcement agents, the New Jersey State Police and New York's narcotics special prosecutor.